Breast cancer: 'You just never think it's going to happen to you'

Two mothers talk about being diagnosed with breast cancer. One heard the news on the same day she found out she was pregnant; the other was told she needed to undergo an operation on the day her son was due to start school

Breast Cancer Ireland Patient Supporter Ciara Jones from Clare with 4 week old baby Luke and Sinead Kennedy (RTE Presenter and Very Pink Run Ambassador), at the launch of Breast Cancer Ireland’s Very Pink Run which will take place on the grounds of Munster Technological University in Bishopstown, Cork, on Sunday 8th October 2023. Picture: David Keane.

Lisa McGrath loves nothing more than taking a stroll by the water near her home in Kilkee, Co Clare, with her husband Fergal and their two children Katie, six, and Harry, eight.

It’s the same area she frequented during lockdown exercise breaks, the children racing along on their scooters. But covid stands out for Lisa for another reason: It was during the pandemic that she discovered a small change on her right nipple.